Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
A Hiss Before Dying  By  cover art

A Hiss Before Dying

By: Rita Mae Brown,Sneaky Pie Brown
Narrated by: Kate Forbes
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.49

Buy for $21.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Rita Mae Brown and her feline coauthor, Sneaky Pie Brown, are back chasing a mystery with their unique circle of Southern sleuths. And though the changing colors of fall are a beauty to behold, this year the scattered leaves hide a grim surprise.

Autumn is in the air in the Blue Ridge Mountain community of Crozet, Virginia - and all the traditions of the changing seasons are underway. Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen cleans her cupboards; her husband, Fair, prepares the horses for the shorter days ahead; and the clamorous barking of beagles signals the annual rabbit chase through the central Virginia hills. But the last thing the local beaglers and their hounds expect to flush out is a dead body.

Disturbingly, it's the second corpse to turn up, after that of a missing truck driver too disfigured to identify. The deaths seem unrelated - until Harry picks up a trail of clues dating back to the state's post-Revolutionary past. The echoes of the Shot Heard Round the World pale in comparison to the dangerous shootout Harry narrowly escapes unscathed. Next time it may be the killer who gets lucky. But not if Harry's furry friends Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tucker can help it. Lending their sharp-nosed talents to the hunt, they'll help their mistress keep more lives from being lost - and right an injustice buried since the early days of America's independence.

©2017 American Artists, Inc. (P)2017 Recorded Books

What listeners say about A Hiss Before Dying

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    96
  • 4 Stars
    35
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    104
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    80
  • 4 Stars
    32
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    6

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

I have loved this series since it first began, but have not cared for it nearly as much since the books jump from the 17 hundreds to the present. This one was the worst and will be my last purchase.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another great story with lots of twists and turns

Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie have crafted another great story featuring characters that we have come to know and love like family

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Another fun romp

Mrs. Murphy and crew are just good medicine for me. Long miles fly by when I am listening to their adventures.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story

I like this story. I like how Mrs. Brown has branched I to a historical fiction. The back and forth between the past and present is fun.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Historical but boring

usually historical novels are interesting! this story just drags. I really struggle to get to the end. too many irrelevant characters. trying to get to the point. just not worth the wading through.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

2 stories interrupting each other

While I like Rita Mae Brown I didn’t like trying to follow 2 totally different stories interrupting each other through out this book.



Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I like the Historical elements

I find that I like the historical plot lines much more than the present day story line. I miss her old characters of Miranda and Big Mim being a big part of the story lines. Honestly though, I think it may be a better idea for her to put an end to the Mrs. Murphy Mystery books and pick up on a series of early American history fiction, I really enjoy these elements to her writing, and I can tell in the detail and thought she puts into THOSE story lines that she likes it too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

This time the past story was more interesting than the present

Although not a fan of stories that go back and forth through time, I find that I have become intrigued by the story from the early VA history. Neither story has sufficient detail to stand alone, but I did enjoy the book. It’s nice to see the characters evolve.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

wow

always a huge fan!
wonderful. it helps to read them in order, but this is part of the 2 previous books. k9nda like a trilogy inside a series!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A sequel to Tall Tail

Sometimes confusing switch between centuries and interlocking multiple storylines. Rita Mae writes another great book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!